June 16, 2011

Let’s talk shop. If you live with food allergies then you probably know all about the time and energy that gets dedicated to label reading and ingredient analysis. The real trick of the trade comes with the Russian Roulette of gauging allergen warning statements. I’m no poker player but I do think that it’s essential to know the rules of the game before putting your money on the table.

EU Legislation requires the 14 known foods to cause allergies to be labeled clearly on any product (including alcoholic drinks) with which they are intended ingredients. The foods/substances are:

This means that ‘unintended’ ingredients which might come in contact with the food product through cross-contamination are not required to bare warnings but often do out of either generosity or self-protection of the manufacturer. However, these additional warnings can sometimes come across as vague and have been known to cause confusion.
The most common Allergy Warnings state that a product:

Contains...: This is the awesome food allergy warning. No matter what the ingredient list says or what you think it says, you can be sure that the culprit allergen is somewhere inside. Therefore, it is essential that you do not consume this product.

May Contain...: This one causes the most confusion. It could really mean anything. I see this warning more as a ‘self-protection’ statement rather than being helpful. Fact is that the food substance in question might be present, albeit unintentionally, and it is therefore up to your own risk taking nature if you choose to consume the product or not. However, if I had severe allergic reactions to my problem foods I would definitely be steering clear because tests have most likely proven some percentage of risk.

Produced on a Line that uses...: I interpret this warning as being highly likely to contain trace elements of the food allergen in question. It’s like being allergic to milk and cooking in a pan which just fried butter but hasn’t been washed properly, if washed at all. I wouldn’t eat the food if I saw it happen in my kitchen. I see this as a big risk.

Produced in a Factory that uses...: I interpret this warning as similar to ‘May Contain...’ It is impossible to know the true risk without being familiar with the factory. If you have severe allergies or extremely sensitive allergies which react to vapours and/or airborne particles I would avoid these products. Personally, I do frequently take chances on ‘Made in a Factory...’ warnings but I must stress that it is a personal choice that should be made according to the severity of your own reactions.

Regardless of the interpreted definition of the warning statements above it is extremely important to remember the intended purpose of the warning: Whether your food allergies are severe or not there is definitely going to be a chance that the allergen in question will be present in the product. After that it is solely up to you, the consumer, to decide if you want to take the gamble.

Note: if you are presently in the middle of an elimination diet I would strongly advise avoiding any product which might contain the substance you are eliminating in any shape or form of warning until you have completed the elimination and re-introduction process.

Link-land:
Below are some links that you might find helpful...

- For a list of ingredients and potential products to avoid for Milk/Dairy, Wheat, Yeast, Egg and Gluten free diets see my Thou-Shalt-Not page located on the bar under the title banner